Ridley Scott’s Next Movie May Deal With Concussions in Pro Football

The drama would be a "morality play"

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Ridley Scott, whose last two efforts were a deep-space horror film (Prometheus) and an existential thriller (The Counselor)  chose a topic more grounded in reality for his potential next project: A drama focused on the effects of concussions in the pro football.

As Deadline.com reports, Scott (currently directing his biblical tale Exodus) wants to shed more light on the devastating effects of head injuries on NFL stars — and how owners and the league are complicit in the process. As  was the case with Oliver Stone’s 1999 pigskin drama Any Given Sunday, it seems highly unlikely the NFL will cooperate or allow use of its licensed properties.

As the role of concussions in contributing to the deteriorating health — from memory loss to dementia — of former NFL players becomes more widely understood, football leagues of all kinds are faced with the challenges of policing an inherently dangerous  sport.  According to Deadline, Scott, a fan of the game, wants to create a “morality play,” not unlike Michael Mann’s The Insider, in which league execs and team owners would be held complicit in ignoring the very real health risks associated with the sport in pursuit of bigger revenues.